Oil sands mining transforms the landscape Photo: David Dodge, Pembina Institute

American mayors attending their annual meeting in Florida this week adopted a resolution that "supports federal legislation that prohibits government use of unconventional or synthetic fuels" derived from CO₂-intensive sources such as oil sands or shales and "encourages" mayors to boycott the use of these fuels in their own municipal fleets. Although it seems to have gone largely unmentioned in the American press, the same can not be said of the Canadian media. There, newspapers and and other media outlets are crammed with articles and editorials denouncing the decision with headlines such as, "Oilsands boycott bad for U.S., premier warns" and "Critics say US mayors ignoring energy reality".

Already on the defensive on the domestic front after the deaths of hundreds of ducks from mining pollution and opposition to the Conservative-led federal governments willingness to sacrifice over a dozen lakes to tailings contamination, advocates for the mega-money oil sands projects seem none too happy to hear criticism emanating from South of the border. Their reminders that China and India would be only too happy to buy their "dirty" oil do seem a little over the top though since the resolution was more of a toothless wish than an actual ban. Text of the resolution after the jump.

[Source: CTV]

A 2005 press image from Air Products.

Need hydrogen in Alberta, Canada? Air Products (along with its Air Products Canada Ltd. subsidiary) has announced the commercialization of a hydrogen plant this week. Air Products' new plant can make over 100 million standard-cubic-feet-per-day. The hydrogen is sold to a Petro-Canada refinery near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and to "other customers in the Alberta Heartlands industrial corridor" under long-term agreements.

While Air Products has some knowledge about fueling hydrogen vehicles (in South Carolina and plans for London) this hydrogen isn't intended for transportation use. Instead, it goes to the refinery to help process bitumen into a synthetic crude oil and then, with the hydrogen, into refined oil products like gasoline and diesel fuel (135,000 barrels a day at the Edmonton refinery). More details after the break.

Oil sands bitumen extraction cell - Wikipedia

The western Canadian province of Alberta comprises less than ten percent of the country's population but is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, due primarily to oil sands production. Extracting usable oil from tar sands requires a lot of heat, which mostly comes from burning natural gas. With the huge expansion in production that is planned over the next decade, greenhouse gas emissions that are already forty percent over their Kyoto accord targets, are expected to grow by another thirty percent.

Alberta Environment Minister Rob Renner is now trying to find ways to make reductions in the emissions. Unfortunately, new regulations recently enacted by the Alberta government won't have much effect anytime soon. Some of the newest and biggest emitters have been given a nine year grace period to meet their reduction targets. If anything, new and large scale emitters should be on the cutting edge of making reductions. After all they have the greatest potential impact.

[Source: Calgary Herald]

With the Canadian government set to introduce their renewable fuels strategy, biodiesel blend testing is set to begin in early 2007 with the Alberta Biodiesel Demonstration Project. Multiple interested parties who support the initiative, including members of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association and the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute, are involved in the investigation into key quality aspects of biodiesel use in Canada including the adoption of biodiesel, extreme cold weather operations and the introduction of ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD).

Long-haul fleet use with 2007 engines will follow lab testing of Canadian General Standards Board 3.520 specification biodiesel blends. Alberta was chosen in part for the project, which will run through to 2008, due to its extreme cold. Concerns over biodiesel's use in Canadian conditions has prompted the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) to call for comprehensive testing before mandates are introduced. The CTA has welcomed the study and says it looks forward to the results.

Related:

• Environmentalist chosen as new leader of Liberal Party in Canada
• Shell Canada to pursue carbon sequestration, wants Canadian government help
• Shell Canada expanding oil sands production

[Source: Todays Trucking]

Canada is the number one supplier of both crude oil and total petroleum products to the United States. Most of that oil originates in the western province of Alberta, which in several ways is sort of the Texas of Canada. Besides, the oil Alberta is also the spiritual home of cowboys in Canada and also the most politically conservative region in Canada. Unlike Texas, the oil in Alberta doesn't generally gush out of the ground when you poke it with a stick. Most of the oil is locked up in tar sands and is much more expensive to extract than the oil in places like the middle east. However, as crude oil prices have climbed in recent years it has become economically viable. Now the government of Alberta wants to begin preparing for a time beyond petroleum. They are committing C$239 million to developing bio-fuel production, distribution and consumption. This makes a lot of sense for Alberta. The western edge of the province rises up into the Rocky Mountains, but the majority of the land mass is flat as a board prairie much of occupied by wheat and canola fields. Alberta wants to be able to continue supplying energy to Canada and the world even after the oil sands are depleted.

[Source: GreenCarCongress.com]